Reversing mechanism



R. F. LANHAM AND A. V.'SHULL. 'REVERSING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1920. 1 4 2- 6 575. Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. F. LANHAM AND A. V. SHULL. REVERSING MECHANISM,

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEEI 2.

gni

uveutou,

R. F. LANHAM' AND A. v. SHULL.

REVERSING MECHANISM. APPLICATION mg!) JUNE-10. 19 2o.

. 1 426 575 Patented Aug. 22, 1922;

3 SHEETSSHEEI a.

- 22 7 j? I J w J v I WWW 4 v 7; fiJIZmZmf/Z zzZZ UNETED STATES ROBERT F. LANHAM AND ALBERT V. SI-IULL, OF LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI.

REVERSING MECHANISM.

' Specification of Letters Patent. 1 511 531 1530} ping, 22,

Application filed June 10,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, ROBERT F. LANHAM and ALBERT V. SKULL, citizens of the United States, residing at Laurel, in the county of Jones, State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Reversing Mechanism, of which the following is aspecifica-tion The device forming the subject matter of this application is a reversing mechanism, and one object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism which may be applied readily to a fourcycle internal combustion engine, without working changes in the standard form of the engine. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a reversing mechanism which will permit a reversal in the direction of rotation of the crank shaft without reversing the direction of rotation of the cam shaft and the timing shaft.

Still another object of the invention is to i provide a reversing mechanism which may be applied to a standardengine and be operated without disarranging the timing.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

It is not possible to show all forms which the invention may take, or to indicate changes which may be made: but it is to be I understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, a mechanic may make changes without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows in side elevation, an engine to which the improvement has been applied, the view being more or less diagrammatic; Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 22 of Figure 6 through the housing which covers the gears; Figure 3 is a section taken through the gear wheels on the cam shaft; Figure 4 is a sec- .tion showing the sleeve of the cam shaft and the clutch disk; Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Figure 8,; Figure .6 is a top plan wherein parts arein section;

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the relative relations of the shafts and the pinions.

The numeral 20 denotes the frame of an, internal combustion engine. A housing 21 is attached by any suitable means 22 to the forward portion of the frame 20 and includes a. forward member 200 and a rear member 291. The numeral23 marks the 1920. Serial No. 387,928; 4

crank shaft of the engine, the cam shaft errace.

appearing at 24C and a supplemental timing i shaft being designated by the numeral 204,

and being journaled in the members 200 and 201 of the housing 21. The supplemental shaft 20-1, is connected at 205 with thefltim- .ing shaft 25 of the engine, the shaft 25'be 4' ing connected with a distributor 26in the present lnstance' The shaft 204 may carry a fan belt pulley 27 and may operate the pump, in accordance with the common practice. V A. main sleeve 28 is journaled in the. members 200 and 201 of the housing 21 and: is keyed at 29 to the cam shaft.24. f

A first gear wheel 4 is loose on the sleeve 28 which, to all intents and purposes, constitutes a part of the shaft 24. A second gear wheel 1' is loose on the sleeve 28.@A.ftl1ird gear wheel 2 is located in advance of: the

second. gear wheel 1 and is keyed at 30120 the. sleeve 28. Afclutch disk 3 is located between the gear wheels l and l andfis slidable longitudinally of-the sleeve 28. A pin 31 is fixed in the disk 3 and projects beyond the side faces of the disk. vOne end of the pin 31 is adapted to engage in; a seat 32 formed .in the gear wheel 1, the other end of the pin being adapted to. engage in a seat 33 formed in the gear wheel 4. The proiecting ends ofthe pin'31j'are provided with keeper notches 34 adapted to receive .ball latches 35 movable in the gear wheels land 4 and advanced by springs 36 retained by screw plugs 37. In its forward face, the

clutch disk 3 is provided with a groove .38

wherein is seated a retainer 39 in the form of a bar, the retainer being held on the disk. by securing elements 59. Theretainer39 has an enlargement 40 extending into. the

central opening ofthe disk 3. The sleeve 28 33,-,

is supplied with oppositely disposed slots 41 through which the retainer 39 passes and it will now be obvious that, although the disk 3 may slide longitudinally of. the sleeve 28, the

disk and the sleeve are coupled together for rotation.

Any suitable means may be provided for moving the disk 3 longitudinally of the sleeve 28. Thus, an operating member or rod 42 may belocated within the sleeve 28,

the rear end of the rod being mounted in the disk and being extended rearwardly into the enlargement 40 thereof. The forward end of the rod 4-.2 reciprocates in a guide plate 43 connected to the housing 21, the v I guide plate serving as a closure for the forper end of the lever etS is slidably mounted,

There are abutments 51 on the rod 50, compression springs 52 being interposed between the abutments and the upper end of the lever d8, the construction described affording a yieldable connection between the rod 50 and the rod48. The rear end of the rod 50 is pivoted to the lower end of the lever 53 fulcrumed intermediate its ends as shown at 54t and connected with an actuating member 55 which may be a push and pull rod, or anything else adapted for the end in view. Noting Figures 3 and 5, it will be seen that a block 56 is secured at 57 to the sleeve 28 and extends through an opening 58 in the disk 3, the block serving as a spacer for separating the gear wheels 1 and 4.

An auxiliary sleeve 60 is journaled in the members 200 and 201 of the housing 21. The sleeve 60 is connected at 203 to the forward end of the crank shaft 23 and forms a part thereof. A first pinion 7 is secured to the rotatable element 60 and meshes with the gear wheel 4t. A second pinion 6 is secured to the shaft sleeve 60 and meshes with an idle pinion 5 on a shaft Gil mounted at its ends in the housing 21. The member 5 is a reversing pinion and meshes with the gear wheel 1. i

A; pinion 8 meshes with the gear wheel 2 and is carried by a shaft 62 constituting a partof a starter 63. A hand starter is de picted in the drawings, but it will be under stood that any kind of a starter may be made us'eof. Thereis a pinion 9 on the timing shaft 25, the pinion meshing with the gear wheel 2.

Suppose that the disk 3 is in the position shown in Figure 3, the rear end of the pin 31 being engaged with the seat of the gear wheel 4. Under such circumstances, the gear wheel l is not connected operatively to the cam shaft 24, there being no driving connec tion between the crank. shaft 23 and the cam shaft 24 by way of the pinions 6 and 5 and the gear wheel 1, the driving connection being established through the pinion 7 and the gear wheel 4. Rotation thus is imparted to the cam shaft 24:, and rotation is imparted to the timing shaft 25 by way of the gear wheel 2 and the pinion 9, At this point it should be observed that the parts 2 and 9 constitute means for connecting the shafts 24k and 25 in permanently timed relation, since the said parts are secured to their respective shafts. I p

Suppose, now, that it is desired t reverse the engine. The engine is stopped and the disk 3 is advanced until the rear end of the pin 31 moves out of the seat 83 in the gear wheel 4, the forward end of the pin entering the seat 32 in the gear wheel 1, or more likely, bearing against the rear surface of the gear wheel 1. The starter 63is now put into operation, imparting rotationto the shaft 62 and to the pinion 8, the shaft 24 being rotated by way of the gear wheel 2. When the shaft 241; r tatechthedisk 3 will be rotated, and the forward end oi: the pin will move over the rear surface of the gear wheel 1 and enter the seat 32. Now there is established a driving train beginning with the starter 63 and ending with the crank shaft 23, the intermediate elements being the shatt62, the pinion 8, the gear wheel 2, the shaft. 24, the gear wheel 1, the pinion 5 and the pinion '6. Since the pinion 5 is interposed in the train above mentioned, a reverse rotation will be imparted to the crank shaft 23, this reversal being brou 'ht about without reversing the direction of rotation of the shafts 24 and 25. It remains to describe the operation of the means whereby the disk '3 is shifted longitudinally of the sleeve 28, the aforesaid means including the rod 42, the member 45, the lever 48, the rod 50, the'lever 53 and the actuating element 55. When the rod 50 moves rearwardly, in order to move the rod 4-2 and the disk 3 forwardly, one of the springs 52 is put under compression. This compressed spring reacting on the lever 48 and the rod (t2, holds theforwar'd end of the pin in engagement with the rear surface of the gear wheel 1 until the disk 3 has rotated with the sleeve 28 sufficiently to en able the forward end of the pin 31 to engage in the seat32.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a mechanism for convertinga oneway internal combustion engine into a re versible engine, a housing comprising forward and rear members; means for securing the housing to the forward portion of an engine frame; a main sleeve journaled in the forward and rear members of the housing and adapted for the reception of the cam shaft of an engine; means for securing'the main sleeve to the cam shaft of an engine; an auxiliary sleeve journaled in the forward and rear members of the lionsing and adapted for the reception of the crank shaft of an engine; means for securing the auxiliary sleeve to the crank shaft of an engine, a shaft mounted in the forward and rear members of the housing; a reversing pinion carried by the last-specified shaft;

sleeve and cooperating with the first and second gear wheels to couple the same one at a time to the main sleeve; and means operating within the main sleeve, and accessible from a point in front of the forward member of the housing, for actuating the clutch.

2. In a mechanism for converting a oneway internal combustion engine into a reversible engine, a housing comprising for ward and rear members; means for securing the housing to the forward portion of an engine frame; a sleeve journaled in the forward and rear members of the housing and adapted for the reception of the cam shaft of an engine; means for securing the sleeve to the cam shaft of an engine; a rotatable element journaled in the forward and rear members of the housing; means for securing the rotatable element to the crank shaft of an engine; a shaft mounted in the forward and rear members of the housing; a reversing pinion carried by the last-specified shaft; a first gear wheel rotatable on the sleeve; a second gear wheel rotatable on the sleeve and meshing with the reversing pinion; a first pinion fixed to the rotatable element and meshing with the first gear wheel; a second pinion fixed to the rotatable element and meshing with the reversing pinion, all. of the aforesaid gear wheels and pinions being located between the forward and rear members of the housing; a clutch 3 mounted movablyon the sleeve and cooperating with the first and second gear wheels to couple the same one at a time to the sleeve; means operating within the sleeve,

and accessible from a point in front ofthe forward member of the housing, for actuating the clutch; a starter located in front of the forward member of the housing and including a gear train operatively connected to the sleeve; a supplemental timer shaft journaled in the housing and including a pinion meshing with one member of said gear train; and means located to the rear of the rear member of the housing for conne'cting the supplemental shaft with the timer shaft of an engine.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT F. LANHAM. ALBERT V. SHULL. l/Vitnesses:

IVY E. SIMPSON, MASON B. LAWTON. 

